Mulayam Singh Yadav mentioned as 'Sangrakshak' in nameplate at Samajwadi party office

Delhi: A new nameplate has been affixed at the Lucknow office of the ruling Samajwadi Party for Mulayam Singh Yadav which reads as - Sanrakshak (guardian).

The nameplate has been put up in place of the earlier one which has read as - Mulayam Singh Yadav, national president. 

Below this is a nameplate of Mulayam's son and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav which calls him the party's national president.

Earlier, two nameplates had been there with the same designation for Mulayam and Akhilesh.

Mulayam's used to be on the top. 

On January 16, the Election Commission had given symbol 'Bicycle' to the faction headed by Akhilesh, recognising it as the Samajwadi Party.

A mere look at the figures of supporting MLAs, MLCs and MPs, National Executive members and National Convention delegates "will evidently demonstrate that Shri Akhilesh Yadav enjoys overwhelming majority support, both among the organisational and legislative wing of the party", the EC had said in its order.

"As a logical consequence of the above finding and applying the test of majority approved by the Supreme Court in the case of Sadiq Ali and consistently applied by the Commission thereafter in all cases of disputes in recognised political parties arising before it from time to time for determination in terms of para 15 of the Symbols Order, the Commission hereby answers the issue number 2 by holding that the group led by Shri Akhilesh Yadav is the Samajwadi Party and is entitled to use its name and its reserved symbol 'Bicycle' for the purposes of Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment Order, 1968)," the EC had said in its 46-page order.

The commission had noted that Akhilesh's faction had filed the affidavits of 205 of the 228 MLAs, 56 out of 68 MLCs, 15 out of 24 MPs, 28 out of 46 National Executive members and 4400 out of 5731 National Convention delegates which accounted for total delegates of 4716 out of 5731.

The order had said that Mulayam's side did not file any affidavit of MPs or MLAs or any delegates claiming allegiance to it with the SP supremo maintaining that there was no split in the party needing determination of a dispute.

(With PTI inputs)